View west from Leeds-Liverpool Canal underbridge to Sandy Lane, 29 April 1996

View west from Leeds-Liverpool Canal underbridge to Sandy Lane (see all photos of the same view)

This high-level view gives a clear picture on progress across the long rural stretch of motorway. Sandy Lane is just visible in the far distance.

Date
Direction of view
West
Structures visible

Structure 17 (Marsh Lane overbridge)

Structure 17a (Marsh Farm overbridge)

Structure 19 (Leeds-Liverpool Canal underbridge)

What's new

The road that made no sense

It was the UK's only single-carriageway motorway, and twenty years ago it ceased to exist. This is the story of the strange fascination it held, and of my place in history.

The forever bottleneck, part 2

The second part of the story, where we learn why exactly the M4 gets narrower on the final approach to Europe’s biggest city.

The forever bottleneck, part 1

The M4 into London was one of the UK's earliest and most ambitious motorway projects. It was bold, pioneering... and almost instantly regretted.

Share this page

Have you seen...

Mickleham Bends

Once it was one of the UK's most dangerous roads — just what is so special about a bit of dual carriageway in Surrey?